How Does Massage Work? Learning it All

The popularity of getting a massage in Dubai is quite on the rise. However, for those who do not know, massage therapy is nothing new. It is one of the ancient holistic treatment methods whose benefits have become eminent and widely accepted in the last few decades.

The history of massage therapy can be traced back to 3000 BCE in India. As the culture and history grew, massage arrived in China and Southeast Asia in 2700 BCE. Hindus used massage therapy in Ayurveda – life health medicine.

The practice was passed down to one generation after another to relieve pain, heal injuries, and prevent and cure all kinds of illnesses. Massages are known to restore the natural and physical balance of the body so that it can heal naturally.

Having established a brief history of this traditional holistic method, let’s get down to what are massages and how do they work.

What is Massage?

Massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. The techniques are applied using fingers, hands, elbows, feet, knees, forearms, or even a device. The main aim of getting a massage is to reduce pain or stress. It triggers your nervous system, rejuvenates the muscles, glands, and organs while moving the blood and lymph fluid. Moreover, massage stimulates chemical production and release by the cells.

It helps the body renew itself and reverse the aftereffects of stress. Here are some of the physiological changes that massages stimulate in the body:

Relaxation Response: This is an involuntary yet predictable response of the nervous system that is triggered by the massage touch and techniques.

Mechanical Response: These are physical effects that occur in the body when pressure is applied to soft tissues.

Both of these responses lead to both emotional and physical benefits.

Relaxation Response

Let’s discuss this a bit further. Initially, a soft pressure is applied. It depicts a safe and caring gesture that triggers a relaxing response. At the same time, if you are getting one for pain relief, it helps with that too. The relaxation response is when both your heart and breathing rate is slow.

When this happens, the blood pressure goes down, your muscles relax, and the production of cortisol, the stress hormone also decreases. Moreover, this response boosts the present level of serotonin, a chemical that positively impacts emotions and thoughts. The relaxation one feels lessens the physical effects of stress and also reduces all the risks that are linked with stress like anxiety, cardiac arrhythmias, digestive disorders, hypertension, insomnia, persistent fatigue, and sexual dysfunction.

Mechanical Responses

Massage includes physical manipulation. This has two major physical effects:

Boost blood and lymph circulation

Relaxation of soft tissue. This includes connective tissue, muscle, ligaments, and tendons. This releases nerves and deeper connective tissues.

Improve Circulation

As said above, massage boosts blood and lymph circulation. This is partly because of physical manipulation of the soft tissue as well as the release of the chemical. Improved circulation also increases the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the muscle cells. As the cell health gets better, tissues tend to perform more. As a result, wastes are flushed out of the body while excess fluids are absorbed. This reduces the swelling in the soft tissues.

Relaxation of Soft Tissues

The muscle tissues are relaxed in massage therapy as the pressure and movements lessen the painful spasms and contractions, Massages also help with nerve compression. For example, when muscles contract, they compress the nerves around them somehow. When the muscles get relaxed, the nerves are no longer compressed. This way, the muscles can operate more efficiently since they can get all their proper nutrients.

As for the nerves, they can continue to transmit messages to and from the brain that results in better functioning of both organs and muscles.

The muscles, tendons, and ligaments get relaxed when the skin is touched or soft pressure is applied. Along with this, the release of superficial muscle layers impacts the deeper layers. This way, the superficial and deeper tissues get better balance and alignment. Apart from muscles, massages also benefit the organs.

The reason being that organs share the neurological pain pathways with the bones, muscles, and nerves. They also get distressed and dysfunctional when the bones, muscles, or nerves are distressed. For instance, if you are already suffering from lower back pain, menstrual cramps can increase in severity, causing lower back muscles to get tensed.

Compared to men, women are more in need of massages as the body goes through a lot during pregnancy and after birth. Therefore, getting a massage from a skilled therapist or a women's health physiotherapy clinic in Dubai can improve both the performance of their organs and muscles.